Musings from the Sugar Bush

Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - Making Country Roads Cold Process Soap

2012-01-31T17:15:00.000-05:00

I made a batch of Country Roads soap last night.

Here are a couple of videos I made last night showing a bit of the soapmaking process

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. John Bosco, Priest (1815-1888) - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 5:21-43.

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea.
One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet
and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live."
He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him.
There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured."
Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?"
But his disciples said to him, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'"
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction."
While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?"
Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James.
When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly.
So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep."
And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was.
He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!"
The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. (At that) they were utterly astounded.
He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

Monday, January 30, 2012

2012-01-30T18:42:00.001-05:00

Today is soapmaking day. I made a batch of Country Roads. I also did a video which taking forever to upload so I will post it tomorrow. Here is what the soap looks like in the mold.

I'm hoping that it will look awesome tomorrow. I just checked it and it is heating up. There's a crack in the top. Not my favorite thing, but it happens.

I've also been in contact with Jen Crawford who is in charge of the Girls On the Run program. We make little soaps to put in the gift bags for the girls. Jen is expecting at least 700 to participate this year! So . . . . . I have started making the soaps. We are doing Oatmeal Milk and Honey hearts. Anna will be figuring out the packaging and Melisa will help package it. We think this is a wonderful program!!

Word of the day:
Monday of the Fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Bathildes, Queen (c. 634-680)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 5:1-20.

They came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes.
When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him.
The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.
In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones.
Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him,
crying out in a loud voice, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!"
(He had been saying to him, "Unclean spirit, come out of the man!")
He asked him, "What is your name?" He replied, "Legion is my name. There are many of us."
And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory.
Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside.
And they pleaded with him, "Send us into the swine. Let us enter them."
And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned.
The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened.
As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear.
Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine.
Then they began to beg him to leave their district.
As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him.
But he would not permit him but told him instead, "Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you."
Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

Saturday, January 28, 2012 - 50% off Sale from our Etsy Team

2012-01-28T11:04:00.003-05:00

We just can't seem to stop having sales at the Old Farmhouse Gathering. We are sponsoring an OFG 50 Club HERE. Be sure to check the individual shops because we each have a special section of 50% off items.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church (+ 1274) - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 4:35-41.

On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, "Let us cross to the other side."
Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him.
A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up.
Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?"
He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm.
Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?"
They were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?"

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

2012-01-24T16:47:00.001-05:00

Oh, the Honeysuckle soap came out as pretty as I had hoped. I was a little worried when it started to gel. It got pretty dark, but this morning when I sliced it, I was very pleased. The goat milk supply is still holding out, but I need to check with Diane about when her goats will be milking. As nice as it would be to have our own goats again, I'm not all that crazy about milking, and now that the kids are gone, it would be me doing the milking.

I am getting the inventory ready for the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. I am also making myself get in my craft room and get stockings done so that we can have a stress free Christmas season next year.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Francis of Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (+ 1622) - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:31-35.

His mother and his brothers arrived. Standing outside they sent word to him and called him.
A crowd seated around him told him, "Your mother and your brothers (and your sisters) are outside asking for you."
But he said to them in reply, "Who are my mother and (my) brothers?"
And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers.
(For) whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Monday, January 23, 2012

2012-01-23T17:58:00.001-05:00

It's Monday and that means soap! Today I made a batch of honeysuckle. It may be winter outside, but it smells like spring in here. It doesn't look all that impressive in the mold, but I can't wait to cut it and see how the swirls turned out.

Madison and Meghan were here today and we made cookies. Both girls try to climb on the stool now so they can "help" Gramma. They've worked it out with Madison on the step and Meghan on the top. We made peanut butter chocolate chip, but Madison wanted to use M&Ms instead of chocolate chips. Then they had to test them.

We also read stories!

It was a fun morning!!!

Word of the day:
Monday of the Third week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Saint(s) of the day : St John the Almoner, Patriarch of Alexandria (+ c. 620)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:22-30.

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and "By the prince of demons he drives out demons."
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, "How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him.
But no one can enter a strong man's house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house.
Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin."
For they had said, "He has an unclean spirit."

Sunday, January 22, 2012 - Hint for Trivia giveaway

2012-01-22T20:04:00.004-05:00

Super duper important update: Mrs Deb E. formerly of Springvale Soap has correctly identified the item as a Hair Receiver.
Shortly after posting this update, I checked our facebook page and saw that Susan Sunderman had tried to post the answer on our blog but was unable to do so. (Naughty eblogger site!) Therefore, we have two winners!! Congratulations, Ladies.

Word of the day:
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr (+ 304)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1:14-20.

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God:
This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

Saturday, January 21, 2012 - Trivia Giveaway!!

2012-01-21T20:52:00.005-05:00

It's trivia time here at the Sugar Bush. The first person to answer this question correctly will win his or her choice of any bar or slice of our soap. Name the item pictured below. All answers must be entered in the comment section. Good luck!

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr (+ 304) - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:20-21.
He came home. Again (the) crowd gathered, making it impossible for them even to eat.
When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, for they said, "He is out of his mind."

Thursday, January 19, 2012

2012-01-19T09:21:00.002-05:00

We were featured in another Share the Love treasury today. Click on any of the products to see a full description. We have some talented artists at the Old Farmhouse Gathering.

Today will be a bit of a lazy day because I still feel punk. A little better than last night, but not much.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Canutus, King of Denmark and Martyr (1040-1086)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:7-12.

Jesus withdrew toward the sea with his disciples. A large number of people followed from Galilee and from Judea.
Hearing what he was doing, a large number of people came to him also from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from beyond the Jordan, and from the neighborhood of Tyre and Sidon.
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him.
He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him.
And whenever unclean spirits saw him they would fall down before him and shout, "You are the Son of God."
He warned them sternly not to make him known.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T23:30:00.001-05:00

I really hope I am not getting a stomach bug again. I have felt slightly nauseous all day and it doesn't seem to be easing off. I went to cantor practice tonight and the cold air made me feel a little better, but then the nausea started creeping back in again. I think tomorrow will be a rest day.

Meghan and Madison were here yesterday. Madison has taken a liking to the Shirley Temple movie, "Heidi." This is her version of the Heidi look.

Actually, she reminds me of when my cousin and I used to play Jesus and Mary. This looks very much like the "Mary" we portrayed. And for the life of me, I cannot find the lace table runner that Madison used to create her look.

The Flyzone this week is the bathroom and one other room. I really didn't want to do bathrooms today, so I am getting my bins in order downstairs. I wasted too much time in my day looking for things because they aren't where they belong. Organizing the bins lets me know at a glance what I have in the way of inventory. I discovered a lot of soap bars (we have switched to cold process slices) so I spent a lot of the day taking pics and getting them listed on Etsy.

I also worked on some Valentine tea lights. Tomorrow, if I feel halfway decent, I need to get caught up on stockings. I should have at least a dozen made by now and I don't. I do not want to be caught short next fall.

Oh, and I placed an order on Vista Print for notecards, post cards, shelf cards, and a magnetic sign for the car. All free except for the shipping which was quite reasonable.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Jaime Hilario, Martyr (1898-1937)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 3:1-6.

Jesus entered the synagogue. There was a man there who had a withered hand.
They watched him closely to see if he would cure him on the sabbath so that they might accuse him.
He said to the man with the withered hand, "Come up here before us."
Then he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?" But they remained silent.
Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out and his hand was restored.
The Pharisees went out and immediately took counsel with the Herodians against him to put him to death.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

2012-01-17T09:24:00.003-05:00

I'm back to my normal soap schedule. I made a batch of blueberry cobbler last night. I love how it turned out, but next time I won't put titanium dioxide in the lye water. I think the blues would have been truer if I had left it out.

Today is a Madison and Meghan day. Madison loves her new sweater and insists on wearing it all day over her pjs.

I've been weeding through all my yarn left from when I had my knitting machine shop. I'm pulling the nicest ones to make sweaters for the grandkids and the rest will be disposed of somehow. I've been decluttering in the basement and made myself get rid of an entire box of the books I wrote. I saved a copy of each for my own use. Why do we get attached to our clutter? I think we give "things" power over us. Things hold memories. I am making myself take pictures so I can keep the memories, but not the clutter.

Our Share the Love Celebration sale at Esty is going very well. Here is a small sampling in a treaury I made.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Anthony the Abbot, Patriarch of Monks (251-356)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2:23-28.

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him,
At this the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the sabbath?"
He said to them, "Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry?
How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?"
Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath.
That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."

January 16, 2012 - Time to Celebrate!!

2012-01-16T09:46:00.003-05:00

Click here and see all of the wonderful Valentine Themed Offerings. We have several items on sale in our Etsy shop. Come check it out!

Word of the day:
Monday of the Second week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Honoratus, Archbishop (+ 429), St. Marcellus, Pope and Martyr (+ 309)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2:18-22.

The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast. People came to Jesus and objected, «Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?»
Jesus answered them, "Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins."

Sunday, January 15, 2012 - New Promotion on the Etsy Site!

2012-01-15T19:47:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow begins our newest promotion at the Old Farmhouse Gathering Etsy team. - Share the Love Celebration. Come and visit these fine shops and see what we have on sale for Valentine's Day! You will be amazed at all of the offerings that honor Love's special day!

Word of the day:
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Paul, the first Hermit († 342), St. Remigius, Archbishop (438-533)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1:35-42.

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God."
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
He said to them,"Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed).
Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter).

Saturday, January 14, 2012

2012-01-14T09:23:00.001-05:00

Of course, I am up early on the one day of the week I can sleep in. But it's always like that on the morning after I make soap. I can't wait to get up and see how it turned out. As I mentioned in my last post, I made a batch of Maple Syrup Festival.

I am in the process of standardizing my procedures and my part of the inventory. I've gone off into too many directions. Last winter I got caught up in the world of YouTube and saw so many things I wanted to try, one of them being cupcakes. I have mixed feelings about the cupcakes. I love to make them, but I am constantly hearing,
"It's too pretty to use. I'm just going to set it out in my bathroom."
The soapmaker in me cringes because it is a total waste of wonderful soap not to use it. I am seriously considering dropping it from our line and only doing them for special orders.

Yesterday I started working on the bins in my ~~dungeon~~ workroom. I am hoping that Harold and Howard will make me that PVC pipe thngy. I went down to count my bins and I have way too many. I did some weeding and sorting. And, as is always the case, for now the dungeon looks worse than before. But I am determined to get it organized this year.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : Bl. Peter Donders, Priest (1809-1887), St. Sava, Abbot and patron of Serbia (+ 1255)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2:13-17.

Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.
Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, "Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
Jesus heard this and said to them (that), "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Friday, January 13, 2012

2012-01-13T23:52:00.000-05:00

Finally made soap again. I'm kind of out of my routine because soapmaking is a Monday night activity, however, due to some unexpected, but very welcome stocking orders from Etsy and Ebay, plus a few from our website, I've been too busy to make any soap. Tonight I made Maple Syrup Festival. It's been a little frustrating because my suppliers keep changing out the maple scents. Grrrrrr. I don't know if this one will darken. I hope not, because I swirled it with a light cocoa and I would really like that to show. But we'll see. I have it in the oven so that if it gels, it will do a full gel and not a partial gel. A partial gel does not affect the quality of the soap, but soapmakers do not like to see it.

I've also been assembling various donations. We did a Valentine Basket for a fundraiser for a cancer patient. I wish I had thought to take a picture of it. It turned out very nice. I also assembled items for a fundraiser for my nephew. And then there is the St. Mary Mardi Gras. I love how this basket turned out!

I had intended to do a Mardi Gras theme, but couldn't find a way to tie that in with our Primitive Sugar Bush style, so I decided to just be what we are - a Country Primitive kind of business.

Today we had our first significant snowfall of the winter. The roads were slippery going into Alma for Mass today. I came home from church and had a nice lazy afternoon and spent some quality time with our youngest grandbaby. He is such a tiny little thing. He's 2 months old but only weighs 7 pounds 12 oz. He looks like a tired little old man. Grandpa and I were able to coax a couple of smiles out of him today, though.

Word of the day:
Friday of the First week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (c. 315- c. 367), St. Veronica of Binasco, Religious (144-1497)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2:1-12.

When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home.
Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them.
They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Child, your sins are forgiven."
Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves,
Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?
Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, "Why are you thinking such things in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, pick up your mat and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth"--
he said to the paralytic, "I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home."
He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this."

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T18:18:00.001-05:00

I found this today on the By Your Hands blogsite. I would love, love, love to have one of these and if I could make it myself - even better!!! I pinned it to my Pinterest Board and within 2 minutes 8 more people had re-pinned it. Guess everyone needs a bit of help organizing their ~~junk~~ stuff.

I can think of a whole slew of uses for something like this!

Word of the day: This is for yesterday, I didn't receive today's for some reason.
The Baptism of the Lord - Feast
Feast of the Church : The Baptism of the Lord - Feast
Saint(s) of the day : Sts. Julian and Basilissa, Martyrs († c. 313)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 1:7-11.

And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the holy Spirit."
It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.
On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased."

Saturday, January 7, 2012

2012-01-07T13:13:00.002-05:00

I cleaned out my craft room and I was so inspired that I made a new tote. I feel a bit guilty making something for me when I have so many other projects to finish, but the tote I had was the first I made. It was way too flimsy. This one will serve me nicely! Here is the front:

And here is the back:

In the interest of using up and making do, I spent about an hour cutting some of my stash into fat quarters. It's so easy to just pick up a bundle of fat quarters at JoAnn's or Walmart and then the fabric starts to take over my life. I have several patterns that call for fat quarters so I will be ready for them. I also have a stack of unfinished projects that were intended as Christmas gifts (Justin's quilt, Anna's quilt) and those will be finished this year. I also have quite a few smaller things that I had started as gifts. Next Christmas everyone on my list will be receiving at least one of these things.

Also on my list are the 3 baby quilts that I need to make for Meghan, Garrett, and Benjamin. Gotta get crackin' on those too!! I think I have enough to keep me out of trouble for a while.

Part of the reason these things haven't been finished is that I need to get my contact prescription straightened out. I have a new eye doctor and he doesn't seem to be as diligent as my previous one, but we'll see. I may just need to get used to him.

Word of the day:
Saturday before Epiphany
Saint(s) of the day : St. Raymond of Peñafort, Priest (c. 1175-1275), St. Lucian, Priest and Martyr († 312)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 2:1-11.

There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.
Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding.
When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."
(And) Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come."
His mother said to the servers, "Do whatever he tells you."
Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons.
Jesus told them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the brim.
Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter." So they took it.
And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from (although the servers who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom
and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now."
Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.

Monday, January 2, 2012

2012-01-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

Well, for some reason our website is not loading. That's been happening quite a bit lately. I'm not sure what the problem is, but I hope they fix it soon.

Today was an Apple Jack 'n Peel day so I made a batch of jar candles and wickless warmer candles (these are new).

Word of the day:
Monday before Epiphany
Saint(s) of the day : St. Basil the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church († 379), Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Bishop and Doctor of the Church († c. 390), St Macarius of Alexandria, anchorite († 394)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1:19-28.

And this is the testimony of John. When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites (to him) to ask him, "Who are you?"
he admitted and did not deny it, but admitted, "I am not the Messiah."
So they asked him, "What are you then? Are you Elijah?" And he said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No."
So they said to him, "Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us? What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said: "I am 'the voice of one crying out in the desert, "Make straight the way of the Lord,"' as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them, "I baptize with water; but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Friday, December 30, 2011

2011-12-30T23:11:00.009-05:00

Today is the first day this week that I've really felt like myself again. Since the Flyzone (Flylady.net) for the rest of the month is the living room, I decided to tackle the bookcase. The tangle of wires behind the TV has been driving me nuts for quite a while so I straightened that up as best one can when there are a zillion things plugged in back there.

As I was sorting through the books, I found one about St. Therese of Lisieux. She was the favored saint of my friend Marian Pryor who passed away last January. She's been on my mind lately because this time last year, John, Bea, Sabina and I went to visit her at Covenant in Saginaw. We didn't know it would be our last time with her. Marian gave me many books during our friendship and she always wrote something inside the front cover. This was written inside the book I opened today.

Word of the day:
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph - Feast
Saint(s) of the day : St. Sabinus, Bishop, and his Companions, Martyrs († c. 303)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2:22-40.

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,

just as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,"

and to offer the sacrifice of "a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons," in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the holy Spirit was upon him.

It had been revealed to him by the holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord.

He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him,

he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:

Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word,

for my eyes have seen your salvation,

which you prepared in sight of all the peoples,

a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel."

The child's father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;

and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage,and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer.

And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem.

When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.

The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2011-12-28T14:48:00.001-05:00

First of all, Happy Birthday to my beautiful daughter, Nina! Love you, Neener Beaner!!
Spent yesterday feeling pretty darn yucky. It's frustrating because I had great plans to catch up on some things. But that's okay. I'm better today. Not 100%, but at least I can get some things done.

In the spirit of always thinking a season ahead, I made some Valentine soap scented with rose/geranium. Some are heartshaped and some are slices. Haven't taken a pic of them yet.

I also made some tealights for our Etsy shop and for the website.
Here are the Valentine Tealights

And these are the spring and summer tealights. They are so much fun to make. AND Melisa found a ton of tealights at a very good price!!

Well, back to work for me. Have a great day everyone!!

Word of the day:
The Holy Innocents, martyrs - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 2:13-18.

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him."
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son."
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.

Saturday, December 24, 2011

2011-12-24T13:25:00.001-05:00

Just popping in to wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas - from my family to yours!!

Word of the day:
The Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), Mass at Midnight - Solemnity
Feast of the Church : Tonight: Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), solemnity
Saint(s) of the day : St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (1828-1898), St. Delphinus, Bishop († 403)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 2:1-14.

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria.
So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,
to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child,
and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.
The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.
The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.
And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

Friday, December 23, 2011

2011-12-23T21:12:00.001-05:00

It's been many years since I've made cannoli completely from scratch. I made some last year, but cheated and bought the shells. Tonight I made some shells. Nicola requested cannoli from scratch for family Christmas night dinner. Here you go, Neener Beaner!!

I spent the day with Claire and Clayton. We puttered around the house, and then after dinner we went to run some errands and buy a Christmas present for their daddy. We started at the church where I unloaded some gifts for the staff. Clay and Claire are always fascinated with the interior of St. Mary's Church. Clay says he always feels like someone is watching him. I turned on the Christmas lights so they could see how pretty everything looked. Then we took Fr. Thai his Christmas gifts so Clay and Claire could meet him.

After locking the church back up, we spent a while in the "castle park" behind the church. Then we headed to St. Louis to Mount Saint Joseph to drop off a few more gifts. From there we went to the dollar store so they could buy Daddy's present. They decided they needed chocolate animal cookies, and since there weren't any at Dollar Tree, we went to Walmart. They each bought a snack for the SA bell ringer, they talked me into buying some of Grandpa's cereal for them to take home (they love his Honey Nut Cheerios), and then we we needed to get to Wendy's because we were all hungry. (And we forgot to buy the animal cookies.)

We pulled into Wendy's and they each wanted chicken nuggets and a Frosty. I learned earlier in the summer that a Frosty and a milkshake are NOT the same thing. Claire had been complaining all day that her stomach hurt. Since it usually coincided with her not getting her own way about this or that, I didn't really take it seriously. However, shortly after we sat down at our table she started to cry and complain that her tummy hurt her. She came over to stand beside me and to tell me that she felt like she was going to hurl. And hurl she did - all over my tray, her skirt, and my jeans. Clay started making wretching noises so I made him go around the corner until Claire felt better. The couple behind us gave me a stack of napkins. (Bless you!!) As I hustled Claire to the ladies room I heard them chuckling over Clay's comment "whew, at least she didn't puke on MY food." Hmmmmmm.

Word of the day:
Feast of the Church : The Great O Antiphons: "O Emmanuel"
Saint(s) of the day : St. John of Kanty, Priest (1390-1473), St. Servulus († c. 590)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:57-66.

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son.
Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father,but his mother said in reply, "No. He will be called John."
But they answered her, "There is no one among your relatives who has this name."
So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called.
He asked for a tablet and wrote, "John is his name," and all were amazed.
Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God.
Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, "What, then, will this child be?" For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

2011-12-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

I am still trying to get gift bags together. I spent the morning and early afternoon at church working with others to get it decorated for Christmas. Decorating the church is my least favorite job in the world, but it was fun visiting with people and the time went pretty quickly. I wish I had taken a picture. I'll try to remember to take my camera with me on Christmas Eve. It's not quite as elaborate as in years past, but it still looks beautiful. As Deacon Al says, "less is more."

Clay and Claire are spending the night tonight. We just finished watching "A Christmas Story." Poor little Claire waited and waited for Ralphie to get his Red Rider BB gun, and then she fell right to sleep.

As hoped, the lilac looks much better out of the mold and sliced. I'm fairly happy with the way it turned out.
I also made a last minute batch of Christmas tree candles for gifts for some people at church.

Most of the house is clean - cluttered, but clean. The kids always want pancakes when they stay over so tomorrow will be a pancake morning. They'll stay until afternoon while Mommy and Aunt Anna shop, and help me run some errands. I'll come home and finish cleaning and the last two stockings for a family order.. Then I have a few more gifts to wrap and I should be good to go.

I am really excited about Harold's present, but I am not going to show it here because this will be the one time he reads my blog. He doesn't have clue as to what I got him. It is one of the best gift ideas I've had in a long time.

Word of the day:
Feast of the Church : The Great O Antiphons: "O Rex Gentium"
Saint(s) of the day : St. Ischyrion, Martyr († c. 250)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:46-56.

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T21:19:00.002-05:00

The week is winding down, or rather winding up, to the great feast of Christmas. I finished up most of the major things I need to do so I took a break tonight and made a batch of soap. This time it was lilac. It's strange that my house smells of autumn in summer, of Christmas in the fall, and of Spring as Christmas approaches, but such is the life of a soapmaker. Because cold process needs at least a month to cure, we are always running ahead - that is, if we plan carefully. Lilac is not my favorite scent to work with, but many of our customers love it. This particular fragrance oil causes the soap to set up fast and has a tendency to rice so I'm not able to get the smooth, lovely swirls that I get with other scents. This would have been good for piping, but I had some soap florets that I wanted to use up. It doesn't look as nice in the mold as it will when it is set and cut into slices.

Very little goes to waste in my studio. I use plastic bags as fillers for my tin can tealights and then seal the rest of the can with old wax melts that have lost their scent. None of this shows, and it makes me feel like I am doing my small part to reduce waste.

This time of year always finds me waxing nostalgic. A few months ago I made a new soap scented with Rose Geranium in memory of my mother. The smell of roses always reminds me of Mama. I'm not sure why. Rose is not a scent I've ever been fond of. Most likely because roses used to be the favored flower for funerals and my mother's funeral was the first I had ever been to. Mama's favorite flowers were actually gladioli.

Over the years I have avoided rose-scented anything. When Harold brought me roses after each of our kids were born, the vase had to sit on the other side of the room. I think that roses reminded me that nothing in life is permanent - that we are mortal - and that my mother died too young.

Lately I have come to peace with the scent of roses, and I remembered something that had been buried in my memory. Mama used to let me borrow her overnight case when I went to stay the night at my grandparents' house. She had a rose sachet that she kept inside it. I recently found the sachet and realize now the scent of roses is also tied to a happy memory. This week I have been burning a rose geranium candle and letting the memories of my mother surround me.

It's been a bit of a sad year in some ways. I lost some dear friends - one of whom was a mother figure for me. She was a good friend - someone I could always talk to. I still talk to her. I often drive by her house and remember the good times we had as friends and co-workers in ministry.

But it's also been a happy year - with the birth of a new grandson

and the expectation of a new grandson in the spring. We had lots of family time and I am blessed that all of our kids live in the state. We have everything we need and everything we want, and enough left to share with others. What more could one want in life?

Tomorrow we will decorate the church for Christmas, but before that there will be morning Mass. One of my favorite priests once said, we are never closer to our loved ones than in the Eucharist. I will remember that tomorrow morning as I remember Mama, Daddy, Marian, and all of the loved ones who have gone before me. Merry Christmas all, and a bright and beautiful New Year!

Word of the day:
Feast of the Church : The Great O Antiphons: "O Oriens"
Saint(s) of the day : St. Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor of the Church (1521-1597)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:39-45.

During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

Thursday, December 15, 2011

2011-12-15T12:36:00.005-05:00

First of all, Happy Happy Birthday to my beautiful first-born. This is how she referred to herself when she was a little girl. Anna Bubbles Beep Beep Indian Baby Moeggenborg Milliron. Or Bubbles for short.

I have finally gotten my soap making mojo back.
Yesterday I made a batch of Monkey Bars Soap. I love the scent of this one - bananas, pineapple, with a touch of cocoa. I swirled it with gold, colorona bordeaux, and cocoa powder. I really like the way this batch turned out. I have a batch of matching candles cooling. One of the candles came up short on weight so it will be my tester.

Last week I made a batch of Honey Blossom

And the week before that, a batch of Peppermint Patty:

I began the day with morning mass - always a good start to the morning. Orders have slowed down so I've had a chance to finally get some cleaning done. Right now I'm at the sort stage, but I feel like I'm accomplishing something. I want to paint the spare bedroom this summer. I have not made any Christmas cookies this year so tonight I am making a recipe that is Harold's new favorite. Double chocolate with peanut butter inside.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Third week of Advent
Saint(s) of the day : St. Virginia Centurione Bracelli (1587-1651)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 7:24-30.

When the messengers of John had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out to the desert to see--a reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine garments? Those who dress luxuriously and live sumptuously are found in royal palaces.
Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom scripture says: 'Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare your way before you.'
I tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
(All the people who listened, including the tax collectors, and who were baptized with the baptism of John, acknowledged the righteousness of God;
but the Pharisees and scholars of the law, who were not baptized by him, rejected the plan of God for themselves.)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T09:47:00.004-05:00

Happy St. Nicholas Day, all!

Well, things haven't slowed down a whole lot - a little, bit, but not much. Sad to say, I have not gotten our Christmas lights up on the front porch. I can't even find them. :( On the positive side, there has been lots of family fun going on.

Littlest granddaughter, Meghan, celebrated her first birthday and is now walking -albeit a bit unsteadily, but still, walking. As you can see, she liked her birthday cake!

We have been getting a lot of local orders for Christmas which is a very good thing.
For the next 5 days, we are taking orders for custom gift baskets.

I've managed to keep up with the Farmhouse group. I slid by the wayside during craft season. Don't forget, Our Etsy Team - Old Farmhouse Gathering - is sponsoring an end of the year giveaway! On December 13, some lucky person will win everything you see pictured in the post further down the page!
Details can be found at The Old Farmhouse Gathering blog. This is an amazing collection from a group of amazing crafters. Our Snowman Tealight is one of the prizes! The Farmhouse Gathering team has wonderfully talented artisans and the winner of this giveaway is going to be a very lucky person, ideed. We are also hosting an open house in our Etsy shops.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Second week of Advent
Saint(s) of the day : St. Nicholas of Bari († 342)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:12-14.

What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

Started the day with a staff meeting. That's always fun. The day gets better from there. LOL! I copied some music for the Christmas choir folders, assembled music packets for the student instrumentalists who will be joining us this Christmas, came home and looked at the messy house and proceeded to ignore it.

December 1 finds me still playing catch up, but I am slowly getting there. I actually made a batch of peppermint patty soap today.

I made a batch last night - tried to oven process it - it wasn't pretty. It will eventually end up in the old crock pot and be re-batched. I had a customer who wanted it and I thought I could oven process it and she would have it for Christmas. I haven't ruined a batch of soap in a couple of years. Oh well, keeps me humble.

I also made 6 lamps, 2 batches of room spray, a batch of honey blossom candles, delivered an order, packaged up another order for shipping, assembled a large order for another customer, answered a third email asking us if we're still making stockings for this year (we aren't), made a dent in the dungeon cleanup, assembled folders for the Mass tomorrow with the school kids, and I need to make a couple of stockings. All-in-all, a good day's work.

Word of the Day:
Thursday of the First week of Advent
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7:21.24-27.

Jesus said to his disciples: «Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand.
The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - A Winter Giveaway from our OFG Team

2011-11-30T10:03:00.012-05:00

Our Etsy Team - Old Farmhouse Gathering - is sponsoring an end of the year giveaway! On December 13, some lucky person will win everything you see pictured below!
Details can be found at The Old Farmhouse Gathering blog. This is an amazing collection from a group of amazing crafters. Our Snowman Tealight is one of the prizes!

Word of the day:
Saint(s) of the day : St. Andrew, Apostle
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 4:18-22.

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men."
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them,
and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.

Monday, November 28, 2011 - It's Cyber Monday and my anniversary

2011-11-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

Today is my anniversary! At 7:00 pm tonight it will be 11 years since I put out my last cigarette!
The tree is up and decorated. Here are a few pics from the fun. They look slightly bored, don't they. Claire is wearing her "tree decorating crown."

Of course, we had to stop for a snack. They raided Grandpa's birthday present.

.
Clay stole Claire's crown. A minor skirmish ensued.

Meghan and Madison found a surprise when they got here this morning.

I have finally finished the last of the website stocking orders that have to go out by the 30th. We still have a few odds and ends orders, but for the most part, the stress is off. This afternoon I will finish putting together the choir folders, make a couple batches of fudge, a couple batches of white chocolate chex mix and December should find me ready to enjoy the season. Now if Madison would just quit singing "Trick or Treat, smell my feet."

Just a reminder that the Cyber Monday sale is going strong on Etsy
In order to take advantage of this promotion, you will need to add this code to your shopping cart when you check out, "OFGthanksyou2011".
Under the payment area in your shopping cart, it will say "apply shop coupon code", click on that and enter the code.

The percentage discount the shop is offering will automatically be deducted during checkout for all the items in your cart (except for shipping).

Make sure you do not place the code in the comments section - it will not work.
Here is the list of participating shops offering 10% or more discount on your order.
(Thank you, Barb at Barb's Heartstrokes for providing the above instructions)

Shop handmade this year - you'll be glad you did!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoeggenborgSugarBush
http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbsheartstrokes
http://www.etsy.com/shop/basketsbyrose
http://www.etsy.com/shop/catsdesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cavecreekprimitives
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ewenmeprintables
http://www.etsy.com/shop/farmersattic
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FirecrackerKid
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck
http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadebybette
http://www.etsy.com/shop/happyvalleyprimitive
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MapleStreetShoppe
http://www.etsy.com/shop/49pamela
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MotherlodeToad
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NancysWorkshop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NoJumbledDucks
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintspotsnsplinters
http://www.etsy.com/shop/primchick
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Primgal
http://www.etsy.com/shop/printandsew
http://www.etsy.com/shop/publishedartist
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBarnHollow
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinsandtreasures
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tomorrowstreasures
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WickedlyCreative
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlwaysPrimitive
http://www.etsy.com/shop/primpennystitches
http://www.etsy.com/shop/yorkiesprimitives
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetbearcreekwhims

Word of the day
Monday of the First week of Advent
Saint(s) of the day : St. James of the Marches, Franciscan Priest (1394-1476)

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,
saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,

Sunday, November 27, 2011

2011-11-27T14:17:00.008-05:00

Oh happy day! Stopped at Walmart on the way home from church and found Sugar Free Peppermint Mocha coffee creamer. Whoo hoo. Doesn't take a lot to make me happy.

Well, tomorrow is cyber Monday and our OFG team is gearing up for a sale in our shops.
Some of the team members of the Etsy Old Farmhouse Gathering team are offering discounts of 10% or more in their shops as a token of thanks to their valued customers. The offer is valid from Thursday, November 24 through Tuesday, November 29.

In order to take advantage of this promotion, you will need to add this code to your shopping cart when you check out, "OFGthanksyou2011".
Under the payment area in your shopping cart, it will say "apply shop coupon code", click on that and enter the code.

The percentage discount the shop is offering will automatically be deducted during checkout for all the items in your cart (except for shipping).

Make sure you do not place the code in the comments section - it will not work.
Here is the list of participating shops offering 10% or more discount on your order.
(Thank you, Barb at Barb's Heartstrokes for providing the above instructions)

Shop handmade this year - you'll be glad you did!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoeggenborgSugarBush
http://www.etsy.com/shop/barbsheartstrokes
http://www.etsy.com/shop/basketsbyrose
http://www.etsy.com/shop/catsdesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/cavecreekprimitives
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ewenmeprintables
http://www.etsy.com/shop/farmersattic
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FirecrackerKid
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Handofbelapeck
http://www.etsy.com/shop/handmadebybette
http://www.etsy.com/shop/happyvalleyprimitive
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MapleStreetShoppe
http://www.etsy.com/shop/49pamela
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MotherlodeToad
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NancysWorkshop
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NoJumbledDucks
http://www.etsy.com/shop/paintspotsnsplinters
http://www.etsy.com/shop/primchick
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Primgal
http://www.etsy.com/shop/printandsew
http://www.etsy.com/shop/publishedartist
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheBarnHollow
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinsandtreasures
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tomorrowstreasures
http://www.etsy.com/shop/WickedlyCreative
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlwaysPrimitive
http://www.etsy.com/shop/primpennystitches
http://www.etsy.com/shop/yorkiesprimitives
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetbearcreekwhims

Now I'm off to finish the rest of my stocking website orders and then later the kids are coming over to help decorate the tree. (and get their picture taken - shhhhhh - don't tell them.) I must go and dig out Claire's tree decorating crown.

Word of the day:
First Sunday of Advent – Year B
Saint(s) of the day : St. Maximus, Bishop († 460), St. Virgil, Bishop († 784)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 13:33-37.

Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

November at the Sugar Bush

2011-11-26T09:43:00.006-05:00

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Thirty-fourth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Peter of Alexandria, Bishop & Martyr († 311)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 21:34-36.

Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise
like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

2011-11-09T11:42:00.001-05:00

Just coming up for air today. I have been locked in my craft room trying to get caught up on stockings. We have suspended all of our listings, but there are always a few people who waited too long and "really, really, please, please, please, pretty please, it's our first grandbaby, our first baby" etc. The hard part is that often they want something changed which puts us even further behind. But do I say no? Never!! Can't disappoint a new mom or a new grandma. That is just not right. LOL! So far we will be able to ship everything by December first, but of course there are some gremlins who live in my craft room and like to gum up the works. Why can't people be more like me? I never ever wait until the last minute for anything. I'd better sign off before I get smited. hahahaha

Word of the day:
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 2:13-22.

Since the Passover of the Jews was near, Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen, and spilled the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."
His disciples recalled the words of scripture, "Zeal for your house will consume me."
At this the Jews answered and said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?"
Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up."
The Jews said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"
But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they came to believe the scripture and the word Jesus had spoken

Thursday, November 3, 2011

2011-11-03T15:00:00.000-04:00

Hmmmmm, 37 years ago today, I met my husband. It was a chance meeting, but 4 kids and almost 6 grandkids later, it just doesn't seem possible that so much time has gone by!

I have been buried in a sea of stocking orders - not to mention all of the other excitement going on around here. We are at 160 stockings for the season now and if the pace keeps up, we may need to pull our listings early. I really need to bookmark this or have Anna, Melisa, or Nicola send it to me when I start slacking off in March.
We will take orders until November 30, unless we get too many orders to be able to ship in time for Christmas. So far we are keeping up, but just barely. With a new baby due any time, things could change quickly.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel Lk 15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
"Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep."
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
"Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost."
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."

Sunday, October 23, 2011

2011-10-24T00:18:00.002-04:00

Well, our first craft show of the season is behind us. I'm always a little nervous about the first one - mainly because it is the furthest one away, and a bit hard to read. The rest of our shows are in this area where people know us. We did see some familiar faces yesterday and we are getting to know the Carson City regulars so that makes it fun. We didn't take as much to this one, but we still did better than the two previous years. It's funny because my soap just doesn't sell in Carson City, but the primitives do very well. The pantry side of the business isn't quite as high there either. But our last two shows of the season pretty much leave all of our inventory depleted. We have some very faithful supporters and they help us keep going. Each venue has its own personality and it is a challenge to decide what we will take to each show.

We got quite a few stocking orders the last few days. I did these this week, but still have about 10 to go in the batch. We are at over a hundred already which is good. I was a little worried about how these would sell since so many people are tightening their belts these days. Here is part of this week's batch of stockings.

It's fun to be a part of so many families' Christmas!

Word of the day:
Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. John of Capistrano, Priest (1386-1456)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:34-40.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking,
Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Thursday, October 20, 2011

2011-10-20T12:10:00.003-04:00

Ah, yes. Remember last January when I said I would get a jump start on this fall? I say it every year, and for the month of January I am one busy bee. And then comes February and I back off a bit because, after all, I have several more months to get it together. March follows and Maple Syrup season starts, the Church prepares for Easter and things get hectic. And, oh, by the way, I forgot that the Maple Syrup Festival is coming up in April. And so goes the year. And here I am, in October, looking down the nose of our first craft show of the season and wondering where the year went. October 15, is my official day to break out the Christmas music and it zipped by me unnoticed.

This year's craft shows will be a bit of a challenge. One Sugar Bush girl is pregnant, due in December, and recently received the news that she is on bed rest. (And by bed rest I mean sitting in the recliner with her feet up, frantically sewing up the Christmas Stockings that should have been on the shelf by the end of summer.) And we have another Sugar Bush girl who is pregnant and due right about the time of the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. Do you detect a theme here? Anna and I will be enlisting the aid of our friend Dottie. :)

Oh, and then I get an inspiration for some tea lights that I absolutely have to pounce on while it is fresh in my elderly brain. And did I forget to mention that the guys are in the fields? That always adds to the fun as they scramble to find food while we women are off doing our craft show thing.

Yes, fall is my favorite time of year - just wish I would stick to my work schedule during the rest of the year so it wouldn't be so hectic. But then, maybe that's all part of the fun.

Thursday of the Twenty-ninth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (1693-1775), St. Maria Bertilla Boscardin, Virgin (1888-1922)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 12:49-53.

I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Thursday, October 13, 2011

2011-10-13T20:29:00.000-04:00

Been making more grungy tea lights. Once I get an idea, it just naggles in my brain until I exhaust all possibilities.

Thursday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Edward the Confessor († 1066)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:47-54.

Woe to you! You build the memorials of the prophets whom your ancestors killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent to the deeds of your ancestors, for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said, 'I will send to them prophets and apostles; some of them they will kill and persecute'
in order that this generation might be charged with the blood of all the prophets shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who died between the altar and the temple building. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When he left, the scribes and Pharisees began to act with hostility toward him and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

Monday, October 10, 2011

2011-10-10T20:23:00.005-04:00

I am so far behind on this blog it isn't funny. Between changes at church (which is where I work when I'm not here doing Sugar Bush or Grandma stuff) and trying to get ready for craft shows, I don't know if I'm coming or going. The guys are in the fields which means I virtually have no life. One of the other farm wives said we are "Call girls." We don't dare start any kind of project because we are sure to get "called" from it to run someone somewhere or feed someone. This year the guys are using "organic" fertilizer. And by organic, I mean that it stinks royally around here. Hopefully, once it is chisel plowed it won't be a problem.

I had Meghan and Madison this morning and after they went home I had to run to Mt. P. because King H is out of coffee creamer. I didn't mind because I know how attached I am to MY morning coffee with creamer. I just received an order of coffee from another family business. Of course, it is my job to test our new products. OMG. Right now I am drinking decaf pumpkin spice. It smells like a coffee shop in here. If this doesn't sell, it won't break my heart because I am pretty sure I can handle using it myself. The other flavors are Maple Syrup, Apple Cobbler, Autumn Harvest, Caramel Apple and another that I can't think of at the moment.

When I got home from Mount Pleasant I had just enough time to finish a new grungy tealight that we will have available for the October shows. When I get a creative strike, nothing else gets done. Today was laundry day. It didn't get done. :) Last night I made a snowman tealight. I loved it so much,

that I had to do an autumn one. I love grungy primitives and these are very grungy. LOL!

Clayton had a soccer game today in Shepherd so I headed up there to watch it. Saw some family and friends, and a former student with her adorable baby. I love living in a small town.

We've been trying not to spend any more money than necessary, but I'm afraid we are keeping with our tradition of going into the fall craft shows in the hole. And I had a big shock last week when one of the organizers of one of our biggest shows said that she had not heard from us and did we still plan to be at the show. I found a copy of the information along with the check, but could find no record of the check being cashed. She said she didn't think we would be able to have the second space that we have had in the past. (We usually have a 10x10 and a 10x12) I was just sick. This is the Keepsake Collection show in Mt. Pleasant and we have begun to have a good following there. But she called back and said that she was able to get another 10x10 space. I am grateful it was available - and in the same place we've always been. I am so glad she thought to call us - that was above and beyond and I really appreciate it!!

At the moment we are caught up on Christmas stockings, but generally things start to jump around October 15. We shall see.

Monday of the Twenty-eighth week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : In Canada : Thanksgiving Day
Saint(s) of the day : St. Francis Borgia, Priest (1510-1572)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 11:29-32.

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, «This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation and she will condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.

Monday, October 3, 2011

2011-10-03T22:34:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been over a week since I've updated this blog. Not a whole lot to report. I haven't had time to make any soap and I have a ton of it to package up and get ready for the craft shows. All of the fall soaps are cured and now I'm wondering if we will have enough to get us through.

So far we are staying caught up on stockings, but I'm sure that is going to change in a week or so. We are at 62 for the season so far.

All of the grandkids were here this morning so it was a bit of a zoo. It was fun, though. I really don't know how I got so much done when we had four little ones.

The guys started the soybeans today which means I live my life between possible field runs. No soapmaking during the day because of possible interruptions. Thank goodness it isn't like this all year long.

I started in on the guest room declutter. That room is driving me nuts at the moment. Well, actually, the whole house is driving me nuts but I gotta start somewhere. Some stuff is easy to let go of, but there are other things, like the dresses I wore for the kids' weddings, the bridesmaid dresses from those same weddings - thinks like that. Those will probably stay in the back of the closet.

Monday of the Twenty-seventh week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Gerard of Brogne, Abbot († 959)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 10:25-37.

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?"
He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them. Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him. If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.'
Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Saturday, September 24, 2011 - Deerfield Park Trail Run Day

2011-09-24T19:39:00.001-04:00

Today Anna and I ran the Deerfield Park Trail Run. I wish this picture had turned out better. Ugh!

It was a beautiful course!! We were told not to expect a personal best on this course because of the hills, but I beat my personal best.

About 5 minutes into the race I was the last person. Not unusual for me. So I prayed the rosary the first 15 minutes and then listened to a podcast for the remainder of the run. About 1/2 hour into the race I passed a little girl and her aunt. I hated to do it, but, well, I did it. The scenery along this trail was absolutely gorgeous and the weather was perfect - just chilly enough to make you want to move. After the 5K we stopped in at a store in Mount P. that carries a few of our things. I was pleased to see that some of my soap sold. That will help put a teeny dent into our negative cash flow going into the fall shows. A very teeny dent. I logged onto facebook a while ago and the shopowner messaged me about ordering some Christmas soaps. Whoo hoo.

I did a soap swap recently with Claire from Beautiful Bubbles. Claire is from the UK and I absolutely love to listen to her videos. I received her box the other day and her soaps are so wonderful. Look her up on YouTube.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : Our Lady of Mercy
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:43b-45.

And all were astonished by the majesty of God. While they were all amazed at his every deed, he said to his disciples,
Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.
But they did not understand this saying; its meaning was hidden from them so that they should not understand it, and they were afraid to ask him about this saying.

Friday, September 23, 2011

2011-09-23T12:30:00.002-04:00

Been busy trying not to stress out the last couple of days. Nothing helps me do that like making a batch of soap - and as luck would have it, we still need a couple of batches for the shows this fall. Last night's therapy session was Cranberry and Spiced Fig.

I also worked on Christmas stockings. We have been getting orders early again this year. We are at 44 stockings for the season and we got 9 orders yesterday so today will be spent working on those.

Later, Clay and Claire are coming over to help me finish decorating for fall. First we will be going for a run with Aunt Anna because she and I are running a 5K tomorrow.

Word of the day:
Friday of the Twenty-fifth week in Ordinary Time
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 9:18-22.

Once when Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?"
They said in reply, "John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, 'One of the ancient prophets has arisen.'"
Then he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said in reply, "The Messiah of God."
He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone.
He said, "The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T10:45:00.005-04:00

I have tons to do today. I got behind on my soapmaking so I have a couple of Christmas soaps that have to be done this week. I also have a couple of stocking orders to get out. But I just could not resist making one of these little guys. I'm calling him Frosty. Hahahaha. I am so imaginative. He is available for $25.00 on our website

As usual, we are heading into the fall craft shows in debt. It's not quite as bad as last year, though, because I invested a lot in primitive snowman tealights. The $5.00 teacher gift items like the ones below seem to sell very well at some craft shows.

I prefer all of our inventory to be handmade by us, but it doesn't always work out that way. I am running low on container wax and pillar wax - both need to be ordered as soon as money comes in. We are also going to have to re-think our budget and by we, I mean me. LOL!

Word of the day:
Saint Matthew, apostle and evangelist - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:9-13.

As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"
He heard this and said, "Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' I did not come to call the righteous but sinners."

Thursday, September 15, 2011

2011-09-15T12:17:00.001-04:00

Tuesday's batch of Peppermint soap turned out fantastic. My whole work area smells wonderful! I garnished the top with pip berries and some red pods that I had. There are chunks of peppermint soap embedded in the loaves. I cant wait for this to cure!!

Ooooooh, our Christmas Stocking ad is out in Country Sampler! You can see it here.

On a sad note, I found out last night that one of our elder parishioners passed away. She lived alone, but we have some wonderful men in our parish who maintained her lawn and checked in on her. I remember her face the night she was baptized at Easter vigil. I don't think she ever stopped glowing. She was one of our lectors and despite her small size, she had a vibrant, rich voice. We will miss her!

Word of the day:
Our Lady of Sorrows - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 19:25-27.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

2011-09-13T14:05:00.007-04:00

Madison and Meghan were here today and they helped me with the fall decorations. I could not get Madison to smile. She is holding an artificial fall mum and taking her job very seriously.

It's been a busy but productive week and a half. I have upped my soapmaking schedule to 4 days a week so I can get all of our seasonal soaps cured before the craft shows. So far I have made Pumpkin Spice, Apple Jack 'n Peel, Vanilla, Honey Oats and Milk, and last night I made Sugar Plum Fairy. I put heart embeds in the loaf. I've never done embeds before. The hearts were from the batch of Fairy Tales I made a few weeks ago. I am pretty pleased with how the Sugar Plum Fairy turned out.

Last Sunday, I sang at a 9/11 Mass of Remembrance down at the Cathedral. There were about 350 people there. Most of the people I knew had been there earlier for the Commissioning Mass and left shortly after I arrived. In the video below I am singing at the very end and the song is chopped up because the videographer is trying to capture different scenes.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth week in Ordinary Time
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 7:11-17.

Soon afterward he journeyed to a city called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd accompanied him.
As he drew near to the gate of the city, a man who had died was being carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. A large crowd from the city was with her.
When the Lord saw her, he was moved with pity for her and said to her, "Do not weep."
He stepped forward and touched the coffin; at this the bearers halted, and he said, "Young man, I tell you, arise!"
The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother.
Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, exclaiming, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people."
This report about him spread through the whole of Judea and in all the surrounding region.

Battle Hymn of the Republic

2011-09-11T08:02:00.000-04:00

9/11 tribute - amazing grace

2011-09-10T19:16:00.002-04:00

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T14:40:00.002-04:00

Madison and Meghan were here today. When Madison is here, she always checks the spot where I set new soap and she discovered a new batch of Honey, Oats, and Milk. She loves to hold a cupcake and sniff it. It's very comical because she does this many times during the morning. This morning she went home with another couple of bath fizzies to share with Meghan Mae and a packet of peanut M&Ms to share with Mama and Daddy.

I cut yesterday's batch of Cider Mill and I'm planning to make some Pumpkin Spice soap later today. The house smells sooooooo good right now. Here is the cider mill. It looks a bit different from the last batch.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:20-26.

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.
Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.
Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.
But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.
Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

2011-09-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

We got some exciting news yesterday and in a sense, the fact that it was on Labor Day is kind of ironic. LOL! Nina and Jamie are expecting a baby at the end of April. They've waited a long time for this. I am very excited for them AND I am not worrying. (Nina, are you reading this?) LOL!

Now that school has started I will have a schedule adjustment. There is RCIA tonight so I will be going out for my run in a few minutes. I had mass with the kids this morning and yesterday was Labor Day so I will have the girls on Wednesday and Thursday. We've been having problems with the sound system so after I got dinner on for Harold and Howard, I went up to meet with the technician. I ~~think~~ hope we have the problem solved. Before going up town, I managed to get a stocking made. I have a batch of five knitted and ready to sew up so I can ship them by Thursday.

After I got home from church for the 2nd time today, I made a batch of Cider Mill soap. This time I put pip berries on the cupcakes. I love the way they look so I put some on the batch I made yesterday too. Yesterday's batch was Honey, Oats, and Milk because I managed to drop the last batch all over the basement floor. Arggghhhhh! Below are pics of today's batch of soap.

I have two more batches to make this week - pumpkin spice and apple jack, but first I have to measure some more oils. The fall soaps need to be done this week so there is time for them to cure before our fall shows.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Twenty-third week in Ordinary Time
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 6:12-19.
Jesus departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God.
When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon
came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and healed them all.

Cutting Honey Oats and Milk Goat Milk Soap

2011-08-26T11:27:00.030-04:00

I cut the Honey Oats and Milk this morning and the whole house smells wonderful.
Haha, I just noticed that the cuckoo clock was going. I didn't even notice it at the time.

Friday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr († 217)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 25:1-13.

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

Making Honey, Oats,and Milk Cold Process Goat Milk Soap

2011-08-25T23:19:00.008-04:00

I am still queasy about seeing myself on video, but in the interest of showing the soapmaking process, I put aside my misgivings.

Thursday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Louis, King of France (1215-1270)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 24:42-51.

Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.
Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into.
So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.
Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so.
Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property.
But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is long delayed,'
and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards,
the servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

2011-08-24T23:27:00.000-04:00

The Viet Nam war was the war of my childhood. It was a highly unpopular war and the servicemen who survived it arrived home to find more battles to fight. It was a sad, sad time in American history no matter what side of the aisle you happened to be on. Harold's brother, Lenard Moeggenborg was one who did not make it back. Today is the anniversary of his journey back to God.

It is also the anniversary of the death of another brother-in-law, Richard Packer, and of our last baby - Joseph Lewis.

Today I packed up a rather large order which included two of our small pip grubbies. I love to make these!

These were scented with Peppermint and they smell wonderful!! I delivered the order to the school and ran into several former co-workers. I love Shepherd. It is a beautiful little town. As someone who comes from the big city, I find it wonderful to have such a beautiful place in my life. After dropping Carol's order off at the school, I stopped that the bank and the post office. It is rare that I go to Shepherd and don't run into at least 2 or 3 relatives.

We received another stocking order off of Etsy today. That makes 4 this week. I can only wonder what September, October, and November will bring.

We are considering doing another show in October next year. This is one we've done before, but we have learned a lot about craft shows and feel that we could really do well if we were to go there again.

Word of the day:
Saint Bartholomew, apostle - Feast
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1:45-51.

Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."
But Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see."
Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him."
Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree."
Nathanael answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel."
Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this."
And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

2011-08-23T23:46:00.001-04:00

Whew! Been a long day!
Started with my two little sweeties, Madison and Meghan. I am not allowed to get Meghan's bottle ready. That is Madison's self-appointed task. She gets very huffy if I do it.

After they went home I checked my email and found a large order of soaps, bath fizzies, and 2 small electric pip grubbies from Carol M. I hand-pour those to order, but I have only one mold so I got on that right away. The pip grubby mold holds about a pound of wax so each one needs about 6 hours in the mold before I can take it out. Both are poured now. Tomorrow I will insert the silicone bulb and cord. I also ran short of the peach bath fizzies so I made a batch of those. I had an order for a Christmas stocking so that is made and ready to ship out tomorrow. I'll drop Carol's order off when I go to the post office. I also made a dozen autumn nightlights. It was a productive day. :)

Word of the day:
Monday of the Twenty-first week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : The Queenship of Mary - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23:13-22.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.'
Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred?
And you say, 'If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.'
You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it;
one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it;
one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

2011-08-20T14:48:00.001-04:00

I unmolded my Fairy Tales soaps. The minis were really hard to unmold. I had to put them in the freezer.

This song has been running through my mind all day. LOL! Makes me think of my dad who loved Frank Sinatra (except Dad's voice was even better.) I grew up with scratchy 78s and the cool 45s

Oh, it looks really nasty out. It is as dark as dusk and the air smells damp. There is a cool breeze coming in the back door and it is thundering and lightening. Harold and Howard are over at Anna's and they were working on the roof. My guess is that they are done for the day. I sure hope this gets it out of its system before the 5k tonight.

Well, the power just went out - you can feel that the air is lighter now that the humidity is dropping. The storm is moving east so I am hopeful about tonight.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 23:1-12.

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,
saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens (hard to carry) and lay them on people's shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.' You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master'; you have but one master, the Messiah.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Friday, August 19, 2011

2011-08-19T14:11:00.001-04:00

Well, Deb E., you have created a mini cupcake monster. I don't know why I didn't try this before. They were so much fun to do. I may need to include them in my regular soap routine. Maybe do 5 large cupcakes and 5 small. These are just way too cute!!! Thanks for the prodding, Deb. Of course I will set aside one of them just for you as a thank you. I also have 3 little granddaughters who will love this soap. It's scented in Fairy Tales fragrance oil.

Word of the day:
Friday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. John Eudes, Priest (1601-1680)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:34-40.

When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
and one of them (a scholar of the law) tested him by asking,
Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?
He said to him, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Thursday, August 18, 2011

2011-08-18T23:03:00.002-04:00

Today was a "putter" day. Madison and Meghan were here for a bit while Sam and Kelli went to a funeral for Kelli's great-grandma. Meghan took a nap and after she woke up, Madison wanted to go on the front porch and sit on the swing. So we did. We watched cars go by, we heard birds squawking, Madison rang the dinner bell and threw a ball around the yard. The guys were gone for dinner so it was just a fun kind of lazy morning. After the girls went home, I shredded up a batch of lard and lye soap to put into our homemade laundry soap kits. A salad shooter sure makes the job a lot easier.

I also measured out oils for 4 more batches of soap. Tomorrow I will be doing a batch of Fairy Tales. I have some bars left so I will concentrate on cupcakes, itty bitty bars, and perhaps some mini cupcakes. (tee hee, Deb)

After I measured the oils, I packaged up some laundry soap kits, made a couple of stockings, and then baked the batch of cookies I mixed up yesterday.

Went for a short run tonight and just finished cooking up a batch of liquid laundry soap.
Time for bed.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, Priest (1901-1952)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 22:1-14.

Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying,
The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying, 'Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast."'
Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.'
The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
He said to him, 'My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?' But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

2011-08-17T10:27:00.001-04:00

One of the really interesting things about soapmaking is that you never quite know what you will end up with. Remember this batch from yesterday?

Here's what it looks like today.

I have a ton of stuff to do today. I got my maple cigar bands last night so I will be finishing up the Maple Syrup Festival packaging. I want to make some more nightlights today - we sold out of all we had last spring. I want to do some more cleaning in the dungeon, and I need to start getting our inventory ready for the fall shows. I am anxious to see how the new look of our soap goes over. The slices cost a little more than the bars, but they are bigger so the price really is the same for the amount of soap. The tricky thing is that our batches are smaller now and since I've switched over to cold process, the cure time is longer. I may switch to cold process/oven process for the loaves just to keep them at a good level in the inventory.

UPDATE:
Our Harvest Home candle has been featured in an Artfire collection. WhooHoo

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Hyacinth, Dominican Missionary (1185-1257)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 20:1-16a.

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
Going out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off. (And) he went out again around noon, and around three o'clock, and did likewise.
Going out about five o'clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner,
saying, 'These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply, 'My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
(Or) am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

2011-08-16T17:48:00.000-04:00

Here is a pic of yesterday's batch of vanilla soap. Vanilla causes soap to turn brown depending on how much vanilla is in the fragrance oil. Since this IS vanilla, it will turn a chocolate brown. The loaf slices are darker because the soap gelled so it turned more quickly, but eventually all of the soaps will be the same dark brown.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Twentieth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Stephen of Hungary (977-1038)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:23-30.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God."
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said, "Who then can be saved?"
Jesus looked at them and said, "For human beings this is impossible, but for God all things are possible."
Then Peter said to him in reply, "We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?"
Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you that you who have followed me, in the new age, when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory, will yourselves sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.

Monday, August 15, 2011

2011-08-15T15:34:00.003-04:00

I am SO pathetic. The new purse I bought was too small so I made a new one. LOL! That bottom center panel is a pocket. There is a matching one on the back. and 2 on the inside. Like I said, I'm pathetic. Hahaha

I packaged up the Maple Syrup festival soap set, made another lamp, some Harvest Home Grungy Candles,

and grunged another candlestick for another lamp. Anna needs to cut me some cigar bands for the Maple Syrup festival and then I will take pics. I'm planning to make some vanilla soap tonight, but we will see. VBS last week put me a bit behind on housework.

Madison and Meghan were here this morning. Madison can say "Moeggenborg" now. Meghan is pulling herself up on the furniture. That one will be walking early. Madison has learned how to turn the the CD player and is quite proud of herself. She loves to listen to the same CD over and over again.

Now I'm off to make some more stockings. Anna has just about caught up with me.

Word of the day:
The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Solemnity
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1:39-56.
During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."
And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is from age to age to those who fear him.
He has shown might with his arm, dispersed the arrogant of mind and heart.
He has thrown down the rulers from their thrones but lifted up the lowly.
The hungry he has filled with good things; the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped Israel his servant, remembering his mercy,
according to his promise to our fathers, to Abraham and to his descendants forever."
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Friday, August 12, 2011

2011-08-12T19:04:00.002-04:00

Got quite a bit done today. Made some lamps. Packaged some products. Did some photography. Made some night lights.

We got a nice package in the mail today! Take a look at these wonderful products. Beth has a wonderful website, Appalachian Heritage. Head on over and check it out!!

Word of the day:
Friday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 19:3-12.
Some Pharisees approached him, and tested him, saying, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause whatever?"
He said in reply, "Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female'
and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?
So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate."
They said to him, "Then why did Moses command that the man give the woman a bill of divorce and dismiss (her)?"
He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.
I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."
(His) disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry."
He answered, "Not all can accept (this) word, but only those to whom that is granted.
Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it."

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

2011-08-09T23:01:00.002-04:00

I am way behind on things. This week is VBS and it takes up a lot of time. The morning is spent at VBS and then I come home and learn the music for the next day. The music is very energetic and we're all kind of dragging by the end of the morning.

I came home today and packaged up the Rainbow Sherbet and Honey Blossom soaps. Next week I really have to get on the stick and make some more. I mailed out a couple of orders and did a little more cleaning of the dungeon. I also finished a set of 5 Teddy Bear stockings for Anna to sew up. I'd like to have at least 100 done by the end of August.

Anna and I went up to the rail trail again tonight. My time for the 5K is slowly improving and my knee isn't bothering me much tonight. I think the stretching at night has really helped. Kelli won't be running the 5K with us in August. She doesn't want to put too much stress on her ankle. Sam probably won't do the race either. :( But Nina is coming up (hopefully her knee will be better) so she and Anna and I will run it together.

VBS is over on Thursday and then I have to get busy cleaning and making snack mix for a pizza party that Harold is hosting. The patio is finished, but the guys still need to come back and put another coat of sealant on it. It's rained the last couple of nights, so hopefully it will be done before Saturday.

I got our papers for our first craft show of the season. It's coming up fast. This show is in Carson City and it has been our lowest show in terms of sales. This year we won't be taking candles and the only soap we'll be taking will be the cupcake soap. People there like our nightlights and Christmas novelties and our mixes sell pretty well, but my stuff doesn't go as well in Carson City. Not sure why because we sell out of a lot of soap and candles in this area, but each show is different.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Nineteenth week in Ordinary Time
Feast of the Church : In Europe: St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), Virgin, Martyr, patron of Europe - Feast
Saint(s) of the day : St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), co-patron of Europe (1891-1942)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 18:1-5.10.12-14.

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
He called a child over, placed it in their midst,
and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

2011-08-06T21:53:00.003-04:00

Clayton and Claire stayed over last night. Clayton drew me a picture. Be sure to click on the picture so you can see all of the hilarious details that Clay puts in his drawings.

Let that be a lesson to any of you baddies out there who think robbing banks is cool.

Claire helped me clean the bedroom. Her pay was a Bubble Cuppie bath fizzie

and a card for McDonald's for a fruit smoothie free with the purchase of another fruit smoothie. Wonder how long before she'll start charging some real money.

We did our 500 fans drawing tonight. The winners were Markeeta Jones and Amanda Gomez. Congratulations, Ladies!!!

Word of the day:
The Transfiguration of the Lord, feast
Feast of the Church : The Transfiguration of the Lord - Feast Saint(s) of the day : St. Hormisdas, Pope († 523)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 17:1-9.
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and do not be afraid."

And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, "Do not tell the vision to anyone until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."

Thursday, August 4, 2011

2011-08-04T23:12:00.003-04:00

It's been a long, hot, week so far. Monday was Theresa Conroy's (Harold's aunt) funeral. Since I am the family church "organist" I was asked to play at the funeral. Therese was a fun-loving and really neat lady. She and the other aunts and uncles were of a generation that knew how to have fun. Most of them farmed so when chores and work were done for the day, they were done for the day. It's hard to see them all slowly moving the party heaven-ward. Only her sister Loretta is left. The great thing about living in an agricultural community is the wonderful stories that are told at the funerals. I feel really blessed to have left the city and made a life here. I wouldn't want to raise kids anywhere else.

Tonight was quilting night. I got another block done for Justin's quilt. I am hoping to have it finished for his birthday in February. I'm still hand-quilting Anna's quilt.

I have made absolutely no soap this week. I can't believe it. I have, however made a dent in the 200 Christmas stockings we want to have ready to go when stocking season starts. We are way behind, so I have made ONLY a dent. There are about 60 made. The girls have some to sew up and there are more here waiting to be picked up. Our ad in the Country Sampler will be coming out soon and we got caught short last fall. I did get some soap packaged, but I ran out of ingredient labels for the Apple Jack 'n Peel. Anna won't be home until Saturday so those will have to wait.

The guys poured the cement for the patio that will be surrounding our wood-fired pizza oven. It's going to be very nice. They have stamped it. Tomorrow they dust it off and seal it. I will post pics when that is done.

I have a wedding to play for tomorrow night. John's doing the ceremony and the bride has a friend who will be singing. Jan Caputo and Al Bartholomew will also be there so it should be fun. I've worked with both of them at different times. We found out that a few years ago that Jan is a distant cousin.

Word of the day:

Thursday of the Eighteenth week in Ordinary Time

Saint(s) of the day : St. John Mary Vianney, Priest (1786-1859) - Memorial

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16:13-23.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, «Who do people say that the Son of Man is?»
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.
From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, "God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you."
He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Friday, July 29, 2011

2011-07-29T12:14:00.001-04:00

I never did make it to the quilting room last night. Well, I did walk in there but then I thought of all the things I didn't get done and felt guilty so I folded laundry instead. LOL!

This morning I cut the new soap, I Remember Mama, and I am really happy with the way it turned out. I wasn't sure I would like the coral that I used with it, but looking at it now, I really like it! The soap batter accelerated on me a bit. That may be due to the other fragrance oil I blended with it. Next time I think I may not blend it at all, but just use the one FO.

Word of the day:
Saint Martha - Memorial
Saint(s) of the day : St. Martha - Memorial
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 11:19-27.

And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother.
When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home.
Martha said to Jesus, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
(But) even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."
Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise."
Martha said to him, "I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day."
Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live,
and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
She said to him, "Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world."

Thursday, July 28, 2011

2011-07-28T15:27:00.003-04:00

First of all, I want to wish a very happy birthday to Kelli!!
It is humid and warm again. It was nice to have a couple of days' relief from the heat, though.

I made soap today. I've been wanting to do a series of family heritage type soaps. The one I did today is called. "I Remember Mama" It's scented with rose geranium. When I smell roses I always think of my mother. Her favorite flowers were actually gladioli, but she used to use gycerine and rosewater on her hands.

Here is a pic of them in the molds. I wanted the peach color to be more rose, but now I think I like this better. I found some rosebuds to put on top.

Tonight is quilting night!!! Woo hoo!!

Update: I finally got around to making a YouTube video. It's been almost 2 months! Where has the summer gone?

I also made two batches of laundry soap today. Here is the recipe I use:
1 cup grated lard and lye soap (guess you know what kind I use.)
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
1/2 cup washing soda
1 old laundry detergent bucket with lid (should hold at least 2 1/2 gallons.)
I measure out 2 gallons of water ahead of time in milk jugs that I've saved. I pour about a quart of water in a stock pot (which I reserve just for making soap) and add the shredded soap. I heat that until the soap shreds are melted. Then I add the other ingredients and stir till dissolved. I pour that into the old detergent bucket and stir. I then add the rest of the water - stir and set aside to gel. You can just scoop it out of the bucket if you want, but I like to pour mine into old clean milk jugs so I can just pour it into the washer. I use 1/2 cup for most loads and 1 cup for greasy farm clothes. In the picture is part of the first batch I made. You can see that the jug on the right has emulsified. Wish I knew how I did that. The other 2 will need to be shaken each time I use the soap. The fourth jug went home with Howard so Colleen can try it. This soap is low sudsing so it works in those new front load washers. For fabric softener I add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to the bleach dispenser in my washer. You could also use one of those Downy dispensers.

I don't always use the liquid soap. Sometimes I just throw some soap shreds (about 1/4 cup loosely packed) in the washer and add a tablespoon each of baking soda, borax, and washing soda.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : Sts. Nazarius and Celsus, Martyrs (1st century), St. Victor, Pope and Martyr († 198)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:47-53.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Do you understand all these things? They answered, "Yes."
And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."
When Jesus finished these parables, he went away from there.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

2011-07-27T09:09:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a beautiful summer day. No excessive heat or humidity. We could really use a rain. Some of the corn isn't looking very good.

I made some Bubble Cuppies the other day. I think they are really cute. Madison will be testing one for me soon. They are small bath fizzies with soap on top. I got the idea when I saw the little plastic bath tub that Kelli uses for Madison. These weigh about an ounce and these are scented with Vanilla. I'm running low on one of the ingredients and when that comes, I will make more.

I logged on this morning to find another post from one of my new favorite bloggers. It's almost like Kismet that I discovered her as I was beginning to develop some soaps honoring departed family members. This talented lady not only makes vintage soap reflecting her Appalachian Heritage, but she is an excellent writer. If you are a lover of stories from our country's past or if you just love handmade soap, you really ought to check out her blog Appalachian Soap and Heritage. Her latest post is about lye soap and makes very interesting reading!

My friend Deb from Springvale Soap also posted a video link on Facebook about the benefits of goat milk soap. Good stuff - but then, we knew that, didn't we, Deb?

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Seventeenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St Pantaleon, Martyr († c. 303)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:44-46.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

2011-07-24T23:18:00.004-04:00

I think the heat wave is finally on its way out the door. Hopefully it will take the humidity with it. I made a batch of a new soap in honor of Aggie. It's a plain Lard & Lye bar - the same kind of soap Aggie would have used when she was raising her brood of 12. I was looking for some vintage pics of Aggie with the kids. Gordon and Nancy stopped by on Thursday night and provided me with this. Anna sharpened it and designed the label. I am really happy with how it turned out. It is listed on the website along with a brief synopsis of Aggie's life and her amazing strength of spirit. This picture must have been taken in the late 40s because Harold looks to be about 1 or 2 here and he was born in 1946. He's a little hard to see, but Agnes is holding him.

We had a gathering at Judy's house on Friday and we gave all the siblings a bar. This label is a little different than what was on those bars. I like this one a lot better. In this picture are Agnes, Betty, Jane, Joan, Irene, and Harold - the first five of the 12 she would eventually have. In fact, Agnes was most likely expecting again when this picture was taken.

One of the other pictures Gordon had with him was of the old Allen country school that used to be down the road. All of the kids except Marie and Howard went there. I was sad when it was torn down. I hate to see historic buildings disappear. I'm really glad that someone took this picture! When I run, I go by the spot where this school used to stand.

I made some bath fizzies tonight. We'll see how they do through the night. It wasn't a great day to do them because of the humidity. I also made another batch of the new soap. I have to do a couple more batches of goat milk soap because I have some goat milk I need to use up.

Word of the day:
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Sharbel Makhluf, Priest (1828-1898), Saint Christina, Virgin and Martyr († c. 300)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:44-52.

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls.
When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind.
When it is full they haul it ashore and sit down to put what is good into buckets. What is bad they throw away.
Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the wicked from the righteous
and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.
Do you understand all these things? They answered, "Yes."
And he replied, "Then every scribe who has been instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like the head of a household who brings from his storeroom both the new and the old."

Thursday, July 21, 2011

2011-07-21T17:45:00.002-04:00

It has been really, really hot here this last week. The kind of hot that makes one consider Central Air. That would never be an option here, especially since it only gets like this for about a week. I don't remember it being this hot, though, since the kids were little. We would close the drapes and not do anything all day.

This morning I went down and started on the east end of the basement. It is such a pit down there and since I am the one that spends the most time down there, I am going to get it cleaned up. I pulled things out from the wall and got the mop and bucket. Our basement is always damp and I wish we could spend the money to get it professionally sealed, but I doubt that's going to happen. So, my only option is to make it as nice down there as I can. When it's not wet, it's not too bad. It will never be a pretty space, but I can shoot for decent.

I made a batch of a soap we will be naming after my late mother-in-law. Harold says that she used lye soap for laundry when they were growing up. Today I made a batch with lard and lye and some fragrance oil. I have requests out to the family for pics of her when the kids were small. So far no one has responded. It's not a fancy bar - no color or anything so I did a CPOP on it. I grate up soap scraps to use for laundry and if this doesn't sell, I will use it. I love homemade soap for laundry.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Lawrence of Brindisi, Priest and Doctor of the Church (1559-1619)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 13:10-17.

The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted.
To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
This is why I speak to them in parables, because 'they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.'
Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: 'You shall indeed hear but not understand you shall indeed look but never see.
Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and be converted, and I heal them.'
But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

Monday, July 18, 2011

2011-07-18T13:19:00.002-04:00

I worked in the basement for quite a while yesterday. I love packaging items and I lost track of time. When I came upstairs I thought it looked like it was going to storm because it was dark. And then I looked at the clock. It was after 9:00!!
I packaged up the Chai Tea and the Christmas Tree soaps and candles.

Word of the day:
Monday of the Sixteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Frederick, Bishop and Martyr († 838)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12:38-42.

Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you."
He said to them in reply, "An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

2011-07-13T13:25:00.004-04:00

I haven't posted much lately, but I have been super busy! Been making lots of soap and we have started getting stocking orders in so from now until after Christmas is will be busy. Plus, the girls and I are training for the Panda Bear Run in August. Anna, Kelli, and I went up and tried out the route. Nicola's been training at home on her treadmill. I think she is going to love the rail trail route. I know I do. I have cantor practice tonight so I'm going to meet Anna, Kelli, and maybe Sam and the girls. We will not forget the bug spray this time. The weather should be great as it is not quite so warm and humid now.

Here are some pics of my latest soaps. This is the Apple Jack 'n Peel

This is the Chai Tea (the brown and tan)

This one is Christmas Tree

This one I made last night and it's Rainbow Sherbet

This one is Country Apple

I am almost out of goat milk so I need to pay a visit to Diane.

Our chickens came in. We raise chickens every year for meat and then Sam has laying hens. Madison got to meet our new visitors yesterday. She wasn't quite sure what to think since the chickens at her house are much bigger.

The chicks will stay in the garage under a heat lamp until they're big enough to be moved to the chicken coop.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Fifteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Clelia Barbieri, Religious and Foundress of Congregation (1847-1870), St. Henry II, the Pious (973-1024)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11:25-27.

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

2011-07-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

First of all, today is the birthday of my beautiful second born child - Melisa! We will be celebrating tonight.

This morning I went for a run and then made some Apple Jack 'n Peel soap. Mmmmmmmm. It smells like Autumn in here. I love Autumn. I actually love every season in its turn, but since I have to do Fall soaps during the summer, I am able to enjoy two seasons at once.

Got another order today, this one from Etsy. We are starting to get inquiries about Christmas stockings and I've had a couple of orders so it looks like the stocking season will be starting early. :)

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Pantaenus, Father of the Church, (+ c. 216), Bl. María Romero Meneses (1902-1977)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:7-15.

As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words--go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

2011-07-06T14:44:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of the Honey Blossom Soap from last night. You can see where it started to gel in the middle even though I put it in the freezer. I have heard some soapmakers say that partially gelled soap is the sign of a novice soapmaker. That is patently untrue. It has a lot to do with the recipe, the fragrance oil, and the additives. This batch has fresh goat milk and that added to the heating up of the batch. Partial gel does not affect the quality of the soap in any way.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr (1890-1902), St. Palladius, Bishop and Apostle of the Scots, (+ c. 450)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:1-7.

Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus;
Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town.
Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

2011-07-05T22:31:00.001-04:00

I made a batch of Honey Blossom soap. It smells wonderful. I had planned to make some bath fizzies, but I forgot that I am out of one of the ingredients. Oh, and I got an order off of Artfire and two off of the website. Things are definitely picking up.

Sara Daniel is hosting an auction on Facebook and several of us are participating. It's great because it is drawing attention to our website and our Facebook page. There are a lot of great things in the auction. It can be found HERE.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Fourteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Anthony Mary Zaccaria, Priest (1502-1539)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:32-38.

As they were going out, a demoniac who could not speak was brought to him,
and when the demon was driven out the mute person spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
But the Pharisees said, "He drives out demons by the prince of demons."
Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness.
At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."

Friday, July 1, 2011

2011-07-01T18:23:00.002-04:00

Well , I didn't get everything on my list done yesterday. The laundry is still waiting to be folded. And I didn't get any stockings made. I did get a batch of Peppermint Bath Fizzies made. I also had enough left over to make some foot soak fizzies. Remember the blueberry fizzies I made the other day. Pftttt! They fizzed on me.

Today I made a batch of fizzies scented with Honey Blossom. They smell wonderful. I got a lot of packaging done and some things listed on Artfire and on the website.

Word of the day:
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus - Solemnity
Feast of the Church : The Sacred Heart of Jesus, solemnity
Saint(s) of the day : Bl. Antonio Rosmini, Priest, Founder of the Institute of Charity (1797-1855), St. Gal, Bishop (c. 489-553)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 11:25-30.

At that time Jesus said in reply, "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011-06-30T12:00:00.001-04:00

Today I absolutely HAVE to get my ~~dungeon~~ workroom straightened up. These are the things I need to get done today:

Clean ~~dungeon~~ workroom.
Measure soap oils
Start figuring out inventory for fall shows
Package Primitive Blessings soap
Make stockings
Fold laundry

And then the evening is mine to quilt, quilt, quilt. I love Thursdays!!

Oh, and I made a paper box from a video tutorial I saw on YouTube.

Word of the day:
Thursday of the Thirteenth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : 1st Martyrs of Rome (+ 1st century)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 9:1-8.

He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves, "This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins" --he then said to the paralytic, "Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe and glorified God who had given such authority to human beings.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T17:21:00.001-04:00

Here we are at the end of June. The days are sliding by so quickly. We had our Moeggenborg Family reunion last Sunday. The numbers are fewer and fewer each year. It's kind of sad to see. Entire branches of the family are not coming any more. We had a good time, but it was discouraging to see how few people come to it any more.

I made some soap last night. I'm getting in the the Christmas soap mode and made a batch of Pepperberry Wreath. It's a blend of an essential oil and a fragrance oil. I like it - reminds me of Christmas. As usual, I made a large loaf, a mini loaf, 4 maple leaves, 5 cupcakes and a bunch of dobbies for future cupcakes.

I am still very bad about waiting to unmold and I managed to mash a little of the bottom of the larger loaf - but it was on the end where I cut samples from so I guess it's okay. I just can't seem to leave it in the mold. LOL!

Word of the day:
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, apostles - Solemnity
Feast of the Church : Saints Peter and Paul - Solemnity
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 16:13-19.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, «Who do people say that the Son of Man is?»
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Simon Peter said in reply, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Saturday, June 25, 2010

2011-06-25T20:49:00.000-04:00

I puttered around doing some packaging today. I made a batch of Blueberry Cobbler bath fizzies. The batch I made the other night - well, let's say it isn't wise to put a fan on them if it is humid outside and the fan is next to a window. They fizzed on me. Smelled great, but the batch was wasted. :( I'm getting a little discouraged because I have given away several of these fizzies and only one person has given me any feedback. I wish we still had a tub so I could test them out myself. I don't know if they just didn't like them, haven't used them, or both.
Here is a picture of tonight's batch. They look pretty good and I'm hoping they don't fizz on me before they are dried. I have finally perfected my recipe!!

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. William of Vercelli (of Monte-Vergine), Abbot (+ 1142)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 8:5-17.

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him,
saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully."
He said to him, "I will come and cure him."
The centurion said in reply, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come here,' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, "Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven,
but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth."
And Jesus said to the centurion, "You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you." And at that very hour (his) servant was healed.
Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him.
When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,
to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: "He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases."

Thursday, June 23, 2011

2011-06-23T21:20:00.000-04:00

Traditionally, Thursday night is quilting night for me but I just had to make soap. I was suffering from withdrawals. LOL! Soapmaking is good therapy for me. Things are in a bit of an upheaval at the church. I should be used to it by now because that seems to be the history with our parish, but it's hard. It confuses the parishioners and can often lead to a faltering of faith. I'm praying that things work out for all concerned. But in the meantime, soapmaking has the same effect on me that baking bread does. It soothes the soul. Tonight's batch is Christmas Tree. I put titanium dioxide in the the lye water, but then mixed 2 separate colors of green and swirled those in. I am hoping that the part that looks yellow will turn white. It should, but you never know with soap. The chemicals tend to do what they want to with the colors.

Word of the day:
Wednesday of the Twelfth week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Thomas More, Martyr (1478-1535), St. John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr (1459-1535)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 7:15-20.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.
By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit.
A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
So by their fruits you will know them.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

2011-06-18T13:55:00.001-04:00

Oh, I am a sad, pitiable soul. I have absolutely no patience or discipline. Look what I did after saying that I would wait until Sunday. I figured since the loaf was in the fridge, it would be easy to unmold - and it was, but it is still soft. You can see that it started to gel even though it was in the fridge.

Here is one of the bitty bars. I got a little too close with the camera.

Word of the day:
Saturday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Elizabeth of Schoenau, St. Gregory Barbarigo, Bishop (1625-1697), Sts. Marcus and Marcellianus, Martyrs (+286)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6:24-34.

Jesus said to his disciples: «No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, 'What are we to eat?' or 'What are we to drink?' or 'What are we to wear?'
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.

Friday, June 17, 2011

2011-06-17T19:06:00.003-04:00

I made a batch of Chai Tea candles yesterday and a batch of Chai Tea soap today. My cupcakes turned out a little lopsided, except for one of them. I hope the swirl turns out. I used cocoa as the darker color and some unscented batter with titanium dioxide in it. I WILL not cut it until Sunday. I WILL not cut it until Sunday.

I listed some new items on Artfire. This soap is called Wash Day. It smells to me like Mondays when I was a kid and the clothes dried on the line in the warm sunshine. It has a a "clean cotton" kind of scent to it.

I just paid for our ad in the upcoming issue of Country Sampler so the girls and I need to get on the stick and start working on the Christmas stockings!!

These are some face cloths I have been making. I hate to just sit and do nothing so when I'm riding in the car on a long trip or chatting at the table over coffee, I stitch these up.

Word of the day:
Friday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Herve, Abbot, (6th century)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 6:19-23.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay destroy, and thieves break in and steal.
But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be filled with light;
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be in darkness. And if the light in you is darkness, how great will the darkness be.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

2011-06-14T22:05:00.001-04:00

I made a batch of Cider Mill soap yesterday. I think with the higher percentage of goat milk, I am going to have to force myself to wait an extra day to unmold it. I also need to remember to get the loaf mold into the refrigerator as soon as it's poured. Yesterday's batch heated up - not too bad, but I could see a little difference in the top. Also, when I cut the loaf I could really smell the ammonia. When the liquid is all water, I think it evaporates faster. The thicker goat milk needs more time. The soap looks fine, but it was very soft when I unmolded it today.

Word of the day:
Tuesday of the Eleventh week in Ordinary Time
Saint(s) of the day : St. Elisha, Prophet (9th century BC)
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 5:43-48.

You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

2011-06-11T12:51:00.001-04:00

Been doing some of the more fun things around the Sugar Bush. My favorite thing to do is package products. I made a batch of Country Apple Bath Fizzies yesterday and they turned out really nice. I packaged them this morning.

Also, my first batch of soap made with fresh goat milk from Diane Davis is ready to package. It will be fully cured on Monday. I tried a bar this morning. All I can say is OMIGOSH! It is so creamy and nice! This is scented with Raspberry Jasmine Spice. These would make really cute gifts for wedding or baby showers.

Last night Anna hosted an Album Making Party at her house. I'm going to use it for Grandbaby pics. Of course I'll need to make a few more to hold all the pics I have.

Word of the day:
Saint Barnabas, apostle – Memorial
Saint(s) of the day : St. Barnabas, Apostle
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 10:7-13.

As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.